This is just getting old.
America was hit with yet another mind-blowing natural disaster late yesterday, as a monster tornado much like the one that ripped northern Alabama to shreds a few weeks ago completely obliterated Joplin, Missouri, a town of about 50,000 people 160 miles south of Kansas City, in a matter of minutes. 89 people are now confirmed dead, but that number is expected to rise as rescuers comb through the rubble of the town today — the town’s local paper reported this morning that “teams with body bags were being dispatched to Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Sonic and other businesses.”
Reports the New York Times:
On Monday morning, Doug Stillions, 59, and his wife, Melissa Stillions, 37, said that when they heard the tornado warning siren go off Sunday they hurriedly took cover in a neighbor’s basement with their 3-year-old son.
“It was just a black wall to the west,” Mr. Stillions said. “It was dark as night.”
They said they had held hands and prayed as the tornado slammed through at thunderous volume and an accompanying pressure so intense the couple said it felt as if their heads might explode.
…
The scene at St. John’s hospital was equally overwhelming. “I spoke to a couple of nurses who were on the sixth floor,” said Mike Jenkins, a senior producer at Weather Channel who was with Mr. Bettes at the hospital. “They told me they received a warning, that a tornado or possible tornado was 20 minutes away. They took their precaution, ran through their steps, and five minutes later the windows were blown out, people were blown across the hall.”
After the jump is video of the tornado plus a few of the images that have emerged from the area so far. They are, as you might imagine, heartbreaking.
(Lead pic )
A couple of the locals who were in a vehicle when the tornado was passing by captured it on video. It’s absolutely terrifying.
https://abcnews.go.com/assets/player/walt2.6/flash/SFP_Walt_2_65.swf
There isn’t much to see here, but the audio of this video taken from inside a store in Joplin will haunt you.
(via NY Times)
(via NY Times)
(via NY Times)
(via Twitpic)
(via AP)
(Pic via AP)